Fabric covered ring



Nov. 18, 1941. E. GRIMALDI 2,263,384

FABRIC COVERED RING Filed May 31, 1940 Patented Nov. 18, 1941 UNI TED STATES PAT QF-F I C E.

F-ABKIG COVERED. RING.

Emil Grimaldi, Brooklyn, N. Y.

Application Ma 31, 1940, Serial; No. 338,069;

1 Claim.

This invention relates to fabric covered rings of the type disclosed in my Patent No. 1,514,962, issued November 11, 1924.

One object of the present invention is toprovide sucha ring having improved means for reenforcing the same to prevent opening upof'thering under strains to which it may be subjected. Thering shown in my patent: above referred to was not commercially: practical because it opened up when subjected to. a strain. In thatv ring, its characteristic feature was that it was:

fabric covered. In manufacture on an inexpen sive quantity production basis, thisnecessitated that a plurality of yarns. or threads be. wound around a straight piece ofwire in superimposed relation to each other. That piece of wire, thus- It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a fabric covered ring of improved construction such that it shall avoid the difficulties mentioned and effect the advantages herein desired. A related object is to provide an improved ornamental ring-shaped article.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent as the specification proceeds.

With the aforesaid objects in view, the invention consists in the novel combinations and arrangements of parts hereinafter described in their preferred embodiments, pointed out in the subjoined claim, and illustrated in the annexed drawing, wherein like parts are designated by the same reference characters throughout the several views.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a plan view of the fabric covered ring embodying the invention.

Fig. 2 is a plan view showing the opposite side thereof.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional view taken on lines 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a plan view of a section of the ring prior to its completion.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged side view of a die with the ring section of Fig. 4 placed in a horizontal plane thereon over a strip of metal, said ring section being partly broken away and a portion thereof being in section.

Fig. 6 is a similar view showing the ring only in section and illustrating a die in position for bending and clamping" the metal stripto form an anchorage tube for the ring, after the concaving of saidstrip-by thedie of Fig. 5.

Y which the. invention appertains, that the same may be incorporated in several different constructions. The accompanying drawing, therefore, is submitted merely-as showing'the preferred exemplification of the invention.

Referring in detail to the drawing, III shows a fabric covered ring embodying the invention. The same may include a split wire ring II providing a core around which is wound a decorative thread, or the like, to provide a ring Ila as shown in Fig. 4. Preferably there is an inner winding or covering l2 forming a soft cushioning or filling base for the outer decorative winding or thread 13. As shown in Fig. 4, portions M of the ring at opposite sides of the split Ma are flattened and are received in a tubular element [5 longitudinally split at l5a. The same is clamped tightly around the ring portions l4 over the fabric covering I3, which extends right up to the ends of the ring at its split. The tubular element l5 may be so tightly engaged with the ring as to compress the fabric covering l3 to a substantial degree, and since the wall of the element I5 is quite thin, a neat and pleasing effect results. If desired, the tubular element 15 may also be crimped or pinched at Hi to indent the metal for'increasing the tightness of its engagement with the ring member I la.

The ring 10 thus provided is amply reenforced at its split Ma by the tubular element I5 which may be made of a suitable steel or other strong metal for this purpose, and which is capable of holding the portions I4 in true alinement with each other, since the fabric covering forms a cushion that expansively acts between the wire Hand the tubular reenforcement. Hence any stresses tending to open up the ring at the split Ma are substantially counteracted by the tubular reenforcement and thus an important difficulty heretofore encountered is overcome.

Another advantage inherent in the structure for its manufacture.

of the device 10 is that the tubular element serves as an anchorage for the thread wound around the wire core II to prevent unraveling thereof, without requiring any special manipulation to secure the thread.

Finally, the tubular reenforcement l5 leaves the fabric covering uncut and free of any mutilation, and may serve as a feature of ornamentation for the device In.

My fabric covered ring may be used for umbrella straps, and as an eye for buttons or hooks or even as an ornamental feature of dresses, in which case a series of rings may be attached to a dress according to a particular design. Other uses in different fields will also be apparent to those skilled in the art.

The advantages of the fabric covered ring will i be further apparent by considering my method The threads l2, I3 are successively wound around a straight piece of wire to form fabric coverings, and then the wire is cut into sections each of which is shaped to the form shown in Fig. 4. A strip of metal is then cut into sections from which the tubular elements l5 are made. A strip of metal I! is placed upon a die (8 having'a recess or channel IQ of curved or other suitable shape. Then the ring member Ha is applied, so that the portions l4 thereof lie on top of the strip 11, above the concavity l9, and with the split I4a being central of the strip 11. Then a head 20 having at its bottom a centering concavity 2| moves powerfully downward to press the ring portions I4 to deform the strip l1 into the channel [9. Thus the strip 11 is bent into U-shaped form as shown at Ila in Fig. 6. To permit free downward movement of the ring member Ila, the die l8 may be made suificiently small at one side of the channel 19 to enter the ring member. Finally, a pair of opposed die members 22 come into action to engage the arms of the element Ha and to press the same tightly around the ring portions I4 to thus complete the tubular element l5. This last operation is accomplished without requiring any movement of the member [9 relative to the die IS. The yielding action of the covering I3 permits a very tight clamping of the tubular element.

In Fig. 7 is shown a modification according to which the tubular element l5 may be constructed with an ornamental projection at a side thereof opposite to the split [5a. Accordingly, I may employ a strip member 23 like that shown at IT and Ila, but having a projection 24 pressed therein or soldered thereto. For such a structure, the die 25 may have its channel 26 formed with a recess 21 to receive the projection 24 without causing distortion thereof when the strip is forced into the die by pressure on the ring portions l 4. In other respects, the structure andoperation may be the same as above described. I

It will now be seen that I have provided a device and method which'fulfill the objects of the invention and are well adapted for practical use.

I claim: v

The herein described ring having a core of relatively stiff material forming a split ring having straight alined portions at the split and being covered by a thread wound around the core, and a longitudinally split tubular reenforcing element receiving said straight alined portions and bridging the split in said ring core and being clamped on the thread covering of said straight portions, with the thread covering being compressed by the tubular element.

EMIL GRIMALDI. 

